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Seniority and Distribution in a Two-Worker Trade Union

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Author Info
Kuhn, Peter
Robert, Jacques

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Abstract

Unlike existing models that rely heavily on assumption regarding unions' distributional preferences, the authors present a simple model in which union seniority-layoff rules and rising seniority-wage profiles result from optimal price discrimination against the firm. Surprisingly, even when cash transfers among union members are ruled out, unions' optimal seniority-wage profiles are likely to be completely unaffected by their distributional preferences because of a kink in the utility-possibility frontier. This suggests that the simple technology of price discrimination may play a key role, hitherto unappreciated, in explaining union policies that affect the relative well-being of different union members. Copyright 1989, the President and Fellows of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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Publisher Info
Article provided by MIT Press in its journal Quarterly Journal of Economics.

Volume (Year): 104 (1989)
Issue (Month): 3 (August)
Pages: 485-505
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Handle: RePEc:tpr:qjecon:v:104:y:1989:i:3:p:485-505

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. McAfee, R Preston & McMillan, John, 1987. "Auctions and Bidding," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 25(2), pages 699-738, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Grossman, Gene M, 1983. "Union Wages, Temporary Layoffs, and Seniority," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 73(3), pages 277-90, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Kuhn, Peter, 1988. "A Nonuniform Pricing Model of Union Wages and Employment," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 96(3), pages 473-508, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Eric Maskin & John Riley, 1984. "Monopoly with Incomplete Information," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 15(2), pages 171-196, Summer. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Hart, Oliver D, 1983. "Optimal Labour Contracts under Asymmetric Information: An Introduction," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 50(1), pages 3-35, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Spence, Michael, 1977. "Nonlinear prices and welfare," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 8(1), pages 1-18, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Katharine G. Abraham & Henry S. Farber, 1987. "Returns to Seniority in the Union and Nonunion Jobs: A New Look at the Evidence," Working papers 458, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of Economics.
  8. Blair, Douglas H & Crawford, David L, 1984. "Labor Union Objectives and Collective Bargaining," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 99(3), pages 547-66, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Weiss, Yoram, 1985. "The Effect of Labor Unions on Investment in Training: A Dynamic Model," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 93(5), pages 994-1007, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Goldman, M Barry & Leland, Hayne E & Sibley, David S, 1984. "Optimal Nonuniform Prices," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 51(2), pages 305-19, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Katharine G. Abraham & Henry S. Farber, 1989. "Returns to Seniority in Union and Nonunion Jobs: A New Look at the Evidence," NBER Working Papers 2368, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  12. Hicks, John, 1970. "Elasticity of Substitution Again: Substitutes and Complements," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 22(3), pages 289-96, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Green, Jerry & Kahn, Charles M, 1983. "Wage-Employment Contracts," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 98(3), pages 173-87, Supplemen. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Coen N. Teulings & Martin A. van der Ende, 2000. "A Structural Model of Tenure and Specific Investments," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 00-009/3, Tinbergen Institute, revised 30 Nov 2002. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Gottfries, Nils & Sjöström, Tomas, 1998. "Insider Bargaining Power, Starting Wages, and Involuntary Unemployment," Working Paper Series 1998:10, Uppsala University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Dohmen, Thomas J. & Pfann, Gerard A., 2000. "Worker Separations in a Nonstationary Corporate Environment," IZA Discussion Papers 201, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. Peter Kuhn & Arthur Sweetman, . "Vulnerable Seniors: Unions, Tenure and Wages Following Permanent Job Loss," Canadian International Labour Network Working Papers 20, McMaster University. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. Johan Den Hertog, 1999. "Reversed Solidarity in Pension Plans," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 7(3), pages 241-260, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Matthias Messner & Mattias K. Polborn, 1999. "Information and Dynamic Adjustment in Life Insurance Markets," UWO Department of Economics Working Papers 9912, University of Western Ontario, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  7. Buhai, Ioan Sebastian & Portela, Miguel & Teulings, Coen N & van Vuuren, Aico, 2008. "Returns to Tenure or Seniority?," CEPR Discussion Papers 6933, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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